How did a fourteen-year-old girl ever trust again? Or smile or laugh? Lucia was trying for the sake of her younger siblings, but more than once, when she was alone with Airiana, she broke down completely.

Airiana held her hand out to Lucia, smiling in welcome. "Lucia is giving me a lesson in making pasta the way her mother made it. I'm very excited about it. When we finish, we're going to put on a big spaghetti feed for everyone."

Lucia nodded a little shyly.

Judith's eyes lit up. "I would love to learn. I bought a book on it, but failed miserably. Is there room for me? I'm not going into work today, so it would be a perfect day for it."

Lucia glanced up at Airiana, who shrugged. "It's up to you, honey. If it would be difficult with an audience, we'll just do it together."

Lucia was silent a moment, and then she looked up at Judith with her very large, dark eyes. "It would be nice if you could join us. When my mother made noodles, we always had a big group of women all working together. It was fun."

"Then I'll come for certain," Judith said.

"I want in on this," Lissa said. "I can bring fresh sourdough bread to the spaghetti feed if you'd like."

"She gave me a starter," Lucia said to Airiana. "For the sourdough bread. She made it for us when you and Max were gone."

"Of course Lissa can come," Airiana said.

Airiana liked having Lissa around Lucia. Lissa was an outgoing personality and she seemed to enjoy being with the children. She loved board games and often dropped by the house to play with the children in the evenings. She managed to get Benito, Nicia and Siena laughing, but Lucia rarely even smiled. Airiana hoped being in the kitchen, where Lucia excelled, would make Lucia much more comfortable.

Rikki pushed Levi toward the women. "Levi cooks. He's a great cook. I'm... um... working on gear this afternoon, but Levi could join you."

Everyone knew Rikki didn't cook. Levi had to do the cooking if he wanted to eat. She would have been quite happy living on her beloved peanut butter, something she considered the perfect food.

"He looks good in an apron," Rikki added.

Thomas and Max snorted and the women burst out laughing. Benito pointed at him and roared with laughter.

Levi scooped Rikki up in his arms. "Woman, you're just getting out of hand. Keep it up and you'll be the tender on the boat and I'll be the diver."

"As if." Rikki sniffed disdainfully. "I'm captain always."

"You're a pretty cute captain, so I guess I'll follow you around," Levi said, putting her back on her feet. He kept his arm around her. "I would love to learn how to make pasta noodles, Lucia, if you'll have me in your kitchen." He gave her a courtly bow, ignoring his brothers and Benito as they laughed wildly.

For the first time, Lucia gave a small, brief smile. She gave Levi a little curtsy. "You are most welcome in my kitchen, Levi. Benito, you and your two friends can eat out of a box tonight. No fresh pasta for you three," she scolded.

Instantly all three males sobered. "Whoa, now," Thomas said. "We need to rethink this. I look pretty darn good in an apron."

"Is that true, Judith?" Airiana asked. "I can't picture Thomas in the kitchen let alone with an apron on."

Judith raised her eyebrow at her husband. "You've never actually worn an apron that I've ever seen."

"But I'm in the kitchen all the time," Thomas pointed out. "It's one of my favorite places."

"Lucia!" Benito burst into a spate of Italian, talking rapidly, trying to get himself out of trouble. He was at his most charming when he spoke his native language. He had no problem using his eyes and good looks to get his way.

"Advocate for both of us," Max reminded.

Lucia threw her hands into the air. "Fine. But stop picking on Levi. He's a brave man to come to my cooking class."

"Yes. Yes, very brave," Benito agreed.

"What time are you giving everyone the lesson?" Blythe asked. "I'm just going to take some lunch to Lexi and talk to her for a few minutes. I'd like to come if I have time."

"We thought we'd start the lesson around one," Airiana answered, glancing at her watch. "I still have to feed the children lunch and then we'll be ready."

"I'll definitely be there," Blythe said.

As Blythe turned to walk away, Lucia stepped forward. Her fingers clutched at Airiana's hand. "You can invite Lexi to join us as well," Lucia managed to get out, her voice painfully shy.

"I'll be happy to, thank you, Lucia," Blythe said. "It's kind of you to include her. Lexi stays too much to herself."

It would be natural for Lucia to recognize Lexi had gone through a similar experience. She had to have noticed how they all checked on Lexi often.

Blythe waved to the others and set out briskly to walk to Lexi's home. She ran several miles every day and the distance wasn't far enough to bother her. She needed the time to think. Gavriil Prakenskii was family. There was no getting around that. His brothers would be upset if he was asked to leave the farm, yet clearly, in some way, they recognized that he was different from them. That worried her.

Without conscious thought she ran her palm down her thigh. Doing the kind of work the brothers had done for so many years would take its toll. Men could go either way. Levi had wanted a different life, and he'd grabbed it with both hands when he'd met Rikki. Thomas had done the same. She hadn't known Max long enough to tell which way he'd gone. He seemed rougher than both Thomas and Levi, but no one could observe him with the children and Airiana and think anything but that he was a family man.

So what was different about Gavriil that had his brothers tense and anxious for Lexi? Had they believed her life was in danger, Blythe was certain they never would have left her alone with the man. She'd been a little shocked that Lexi had insisted Gavriil stay with her. As far as Blythe could remember, Lexi was never alone with any of the men, not even the ones she'd come to consider her brothers.

When they all worked out together in the gym, or practiced self-defense moves, the doors were always open and there was always at least one other woman in the room. Blythe knew Lexi felt affection for Levi and Thomas. She'd only just met Max, but she accepted him on the farm. Still, she stayed away from the men as a rule. She probably was closest to Levi than the others, and even with him, Lexi held herself apart.

Blythe went through the fields of various crops, taking a shortcut to get to Lexi's house. She was surprised at the variety of vegetables that were growing. She hadn't really been paying attention to the farm and how much it had grown.

Lexi sat in her porch swing watching her approach. Blythe waved at her and then gestured around her. "How in the world do you do everything by yourself? You need help. I had no idea the farm had gotten so big."

Lexi smiled in welcome. "It's really doing well. But you're right, it's getting to be too much for me. I've been working longer hours, but sometimes my back hurts so bad I can barely straighten up."

Blythe paused, frowning. "You should have told us, Lexi. You work too hard, and we need to get you help."

Blythe set the picnic basket on the railing and sank into one of the large, comfortable chairs on Lexi's porch. The wraparound deck had been important to Lexi. She'd wanted it large and spacious, but covered from the weather. They spent more time on Lexi's deck when they all visited than in the house.

"Levi sent lunch. He thought you might not be up to cooking yet, after this morning."

"That was thoughtful of him," Lexi said.

"And before I forget, Lucia is giving a lesson on making pasta noodles around one today at Airiana's if you're up for that. She especially asked me to invite you. It seemed important to her."

Blythe studied Lexi's face. She'd been crying. Weeping silently. Lexi rarely made a sound when she cried. Blythe was certain that when she was a child, Caine had beaten her if she made a sound. It always broke her heart when Lexi cried so quietly.

"Are you all right? This morning must have been a nightmare for you."

Lexi nodded slowly. "It certainly brought everything back again. All those memories I try so hard to lock away. I think I close the door and lock it and I won't think about it ever again, but that never works. Somehow, every night that horrible man haunts me. Now, he's taken away my feeling of safety here on the farm. Worse, I'm worried about all of you."

Blythe nodded. "Of course you would be worried about us after what happened to your family, Lexi. It's natural. I've seen the same thing in Lucia. She's so traumatized that she can't let her siblings out of her sight."

"Poor babies. All of them. I hope we can give them some peace here. Although now... with Caine finding me... I don't know if it's fair to them to have me stay. I've been thinking about that a lot. I don't want to leave, but I can't be selfish either. Those children need stability, and Max and Airiana will give it to them. With Levi and Thomas here, I think they'll be safe."

Blythe leaned toward Lexi. "Is that why you wanted Gavriil to stay with you? Does he make you feel safer?"

Lexi looked surprised. "No. No, I wouldn't use him like that. He's been through enough and it was bad enough that he had to kill someone to save my life. I feel terrible about that, although he just dismisses it like it wasn't anything. But it is, Blythe. Taking a life is always difficult."

Blythe nodded. "That's true. I'm sorry he had to do that too, but I'm grateful to him that he did. I'd much rather have you alive."

Lexi smiled at her. "Thanks, Blythe. I'm grateful as well."

"Is that why you've got him here with you?" Blythe persisted. When Lexi frowned, she continued. "I'm just worried that you're uncomfortable. We all are. We know you don't like being alone with men, and I wouldn't want you to think you have to take him in if you'd rather one of us give him a place to stay. He could even stay in the community building. We could easily make up a room for him there."

Lexi shook her head. "I didn't ask him to stay because I felt beholden to him, Blythe. I wouldn't do that. You know me better than that. I want him here because I feel he needs to be here. I can't explain it any better than that. I'll let him know he has other options, and if he prefers to take anyone else up on their offer or he wants his own place which he might I'll call you."

Blythe nodded her head, her gaze steady on Lexi's. "You're certain this is what you want to do?"

"Yes," Lexi said firmly. "I hope that when he's rested, he'll choose to stay. He's worked on farms before." A note of eagerness crept into her voice. "I could use the help, especially if he knows how to run the equipment."

"I thought Thomas volunteered."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Thomas doesn't know a vegetable from a flower. He wouldn't know a weed if it jumped out of the ground and bit him. And he certainly isn't touching my tractor." A brief smile came and went. "I've had to keep the keys with me at all times since Benito has come to live with us. That boy is curious about everything."

"I'll have Max talk to him."

"Max is the only person he listens to. If Gavriil stays awhile, I might be able to get by without hiring anyone else this year. I'll need more equipment and someone else to work with me for certain, especially if we get that other piece of property. And llamas."

"You and your llamas."

"I want a dog too. I know we're all supposed to vote on that, but I'm here by myself a lot. Dogs would help alert if strangers were around."

The conversation had gotten away from her and there was no way for Blythe to bring it back to Gavriil. She sighed and stood up, conceding the sparring victory to Lexi. She wasn't going to get her younger sister to reveal the real reason she wanted Gavriil to stay with her, but it was clear she was determined that he remain exactly where he was.

"Don't forget we'll be trying to learn how to make pasta at one," Blythe said. "Enjoy your lunch."

"I doubt if I can make it, but I'll try," Lexi said. "I have tons of work to do, and I want to make certain Gavriil gets plenty of sleep."

"He can sleep while you're with us," Blythe pointed out, but kept walking away with a cheery little wave. She'd done her best. As far as she could see, not only was Lexi all right, but she was going to be stubborn about anyone trying to force Gavriil Prakenskii out of her home or off the farm.

5.

Gavriil lay listening to the voices out on the porch. The window was open and he could hear the conversation easily. Lexi's sister had come to get him out of her house, but somehow Lexi had diverted her from the main subject, and Blythe couldn't do much about it. He found himself smiling in spite of the electricity zinging through his body. His nerve endings felt on fire.

Lexi hadn't told Blythe that he was in chronic, unrelenting pain. She knew how badly his body was damaged, but she hadn't said a word. He wasn't fooling himself. Lexi hadn't taken one look at him and fallen head over heels. She barely noticed he was a man she viewed him as a wounded animal but she hadn't given away his secrets.

Lexi was determined to save him. Not fix him, exactly she wasn't naive enough to believe that was possible but she wanted to give him a semblance of peace and that was amazing to him. No one had ever done for him what she was attempting. He was uncomfortable in the presence of others, yet not with her.

The strange thing was, he'd actually dozed off a couple of times. Sheer madness when he was in such a dangerous position. He couldn't understand why he was so mesmerized by everything about Lexi but he was and he had to deal with it.

He knew the moment Lexi left the porch and entered the house. She didn't really make much of a sound, just a whisper of footsteps on her hardwood floor, but he had a built-in radar that seemed to follow her every movement. He waited, his heart pounding a little too fast, a little too loud.

It was a bit ridiculous when he could defeat a polygraph by controlling his pulse and breath so easily. He could slow the beating of his heart or any other organ. He controlled every bodily function from his sex drive to his respiration, and yet when Lexi was near, she threw him into complete chaos.

"You're back," he greeted. He hadn't realized how much he wanted to see her, to feel her close to him. He was used to being alone and he'd always preferred that, but suddenly he seemed to be so enamored with her that he didn't want to be apart from her.

"Were you able to sleep at all?"

Just the sound of her voice, her beautiful green eyes drifting over his face as if she enjoyed looking at him, was enough to cause his body to stir.

She came straight to him, leaning over him to examine his chest. Her hair tumbled forward to brush over his skin, the slide like a waterfall of silk where her ponytail swept across his chest. She began to remove the needles one by one. Each time she pulled one from his body, she placed her palm over the spot and closed her eyes for a moment.

"You didn't answer me, Gavriil," she said. "Did you manage to get any sleep?"

He didn't answer, waiting for her to look at him. He wanted to feel the impact of her eyes. Each time he had dozed off he saw her eyes looking at him. Soft. Gentle. Looking into him. Seeing him. He needed to know if it was real, or if the incense and aromatic candles were causing a hallucination of some sort.

Lexi didn't lift her head but her gaze jumped to his. He saw sparkling emeralds. Not light green, but a deep, very dark green, like the cool of the forest.

"A man would kill to have you notice him." The words slipped out before he could stop them. He didn't want her to run from him to realize he was plotting to find a way to make her fall in love with him.

She looked at him for a long time, searching his eyes as if looking into his soul and seeing how vulnerable she made him feel. A slow smile curved her soft mouth. "Well, you did that already and I definitely have noticed you, so there's no need to do that again."

The teasing note in her voice whispered over him like the stroke of fingers. "I did sleep, thank you. Right now, though, I think I could use a very strong cup of coffee."

"Chamomile tea. With lavender and honey in it," she contradicted, and went back to removing needles. "I know you're probably very uncomfortable right now. Opening up those pathways can be painful. I figured you were already in pain and you handle it, so if it takes a few sessions to get them open and functioning properly without them short-circuiting like they are now, it will be worth it."

"You do realize my nerves are damaged. The doctors say they won't ever heal." He caught her ponytail in his hand, closing the thick mass of hair in his fist. "I went to several different countries and got numerous opinions."

"I'm very aware they are damaged, Gavriil. I could feel the paths blocked and broken. I'm not saying it will work for certain, but usually if I can feel the damage I can fix it." She picked up the tray of needles and started to turn away from him. Her hair, captured in his fist, prevented movement.

Lexi lifted one eyebrow. "I'm betting you haven't eaten in a while."

"I'm used to doing things for myself."

"That's good, because I can barely take care of myself, but just for the next few days, until we get this nerve thing under control, I thought maybe we could compromise."

"How does that work?"

She smiled at him again. Her mouth was beautiful, her lips full and soft, a terrible temptation. "You do everything I say, of course. Right now, I need my hair back so I can make the tea and get the lunch Levi sent over for us."

"Can you cook? I might consider letting you boss me around for a couple of days if you can cook."

"Of course I can cook. And I always use fresh, organic vegetables and herbs." She managed a haughty look even with her sparkling eyes. "Believe me, doing everything I say will be totally worth it. I'm a very good cook, although I tell my sisters I'm not so they occasionally feed me after I've worked all day."

"I didn't notice a lot of use in that kitchen of yours," he hedged. "Letting you boss me around won't be easy. I have to know what you're saying is true." He tugged on her hair as if he was considering the proposal.

"What's to think about? I stick needles in you daily and make you drink all kinds of concoctions that I won't tell you what's in them, boss you around and feed you wonderful meals. I'll even let you have this bed. It's the most comfortable. That's a huge concession right there."